In which of the following activities are Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites used?
- 1.Assessment of crop productivity
- 2.Locating groundwater resources
- 3.Mineral exploration
- 4.Telecommunications
- 5.Traffic studies
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 3 only
The answer is (a). IRS satellites are earth-observation satellites, and their data serve agriculture, water resources and mineral prospecting, so items 1, 2 and 3 fit. Telecommunication is handled by the INSAT/GSAT communication satellites, so item 4 is wrong. That rules out both (b) and (d), the only options containing item 5. Item 3 being correct then picks (a) over (c).
- ✓ 1. ISRO says IRS data are used for agriculture. Crop-area and crop-condition assessment is a core use of remote sensing.
- ✓ 2. IRS data feed water-resources applications. ISRO's earth-observation services include groundwater prospects and groundwater quality information.
- ✓ 3. ISRO explicitly lists mineral prospecting among the applications of IRS data.
- ✗ 4. Telecommunication is the job of the INSAT/GSAT geostationary communication satellites, not of the sun-synchronous IRS series.
- ✗ 5. Traffic studies are not among the applications ISRO lists for IRS data. Both options that include this item, (b) and (d), also include item 4, which is wrong, so item 5 cannot be part of the answer.
- ✗ (d) This option is the tempting one because it looks all-inclusive. It fails because it includes telecommunications.
Remember · IRS series = earth observation (agriculture, water, minerals, forestry, urban planning, disasters). INSAT/GSAT series = telecom, broadcasting and weather.
Sources
- ISRO – Earth Observation Satellites ↗ “The data from these satellites are used for several applications covering agriculture, water resources, urban planning, rural development, mineral prospecting, environment, forestry, ocean resources and disaster management.”
- ISRO – Communication Satellites (INSAT system) ↗ “The INSAT system with more than 200 transponders in the C, Extended C and Ku-bands provides services to telecommunications, television broadcasting, satellite newsgathering, societal applications, weather forecasting”
- ISRO – Space Based Earth Observation Applications ↗ “Ground Water Prospects Provides groundwater prospects & groundwater quality information to citizen and authenticated uses”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2015, General Studies Paper I. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·
